William H. Macy

BIRTHDATE: March 13, 1950
BIRTHPLACE: Miami, Florida
MARITAL STATUS: Married to actress Felicity Huffman, one child
WHY HE DESERVES HIS BIG BREAK:
Let's face it, this guy deserved his big break a long time ago. William H. Macy has the appearance and outward personality of your friendly local insurance salesman, but behind that bland facade is one of today's greatest character actors. With his soft voice and sorrowful eyes, he's able to find the heart and soul of even the most ordinary characters.

William H. Macy toiled on stage and TV for an amazing eighteen years before becoming familiar to movie audiences. A favorite of playwright David Mamet, he had starring roles on stage in Mamet's American Buffalo, and originated the role of the college professor who may or may not be guilty of sexually harassing a student in Oleanna. Oleanna was produced as a feature in 1994, with Macy reprising his role, and he continues to collaborate with Mamet in such films as Homicide, Wag the Dog, and State and Main.

Macy's best performances to date have been brought forth by today's top three directors--Paul Thomas Anderson, and Joel and Ethan Coen. The Coens cast him as sad-sack car salesman Jerry Lundegaard in 1996's Fargo, which in our humble opinion is one of the greatest movies of the 90's. As the instigator of a kidnapping plot that goes bad in every possible way such a plot could go bad, he manages to keep audiences wholly sympathetic towards his character, even as the police are dragging him literally kicking and screaming out of a motel room. His other best performance was in Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights (1997), where he plays "Little Bill", a porn film cameraman who has a drastic solution to his problem with a cheating wife.

William H. Macy's great performances are hardly limited to these two films, however--he's also put in remarkable performances in such films as Pleasantville, A Civil Action, Happy, Texas, and Magnolia. Though he's only been nominated for one Academy Award, William H. Macy stands today as one of America's finest actors--in our humble opinion, of course

FILMOGRAPHY
Films highlighted in yellow present William at his best

Welcome to Collinwood (2002)--Riley
Door to Door (TV Movie--2001)--Bill Porter
Focus (2001)--Lawrence Newman
Jurassic Park III (2001)--Paul Kirby
State and Main (2000)--Walt Price
Panic (2000)--Alex
"Batman Beyond" (2000)--Kerros (TV guest appearance)
Magnolia (1999)--Quiz Kid Donnie Smith
The Night of the Headless Horseman (TV Movie--1999)--Ichabod Crane (voiceover)
A Slight Case of Murder (TV Movie--1999)--Terry Thorpe
Happy, Texas (1999)--Sheriff Chappy Dent
Mystery Men (1999)--The Shoveler
"Sports Night" (1999)--Sam Donovan (recurring TV guest appearance)
"Batman Beyond" (1999)--Aaron Herbst (TV guest appearance)
"Frasier" (1999)--Ralph (TV guest appearance)
"The Lionhearts" (TV Series--1998)--Leo Lionheart
A Civil Action (1998)--James Gordon
The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue (1998)--Justin (voiceover)
Psycho (1998)--Milton Arbogast
Pleasantville (1998)--George Parker
The Con (TV Movie--1998)--Bobby Sommerdinger
Jerry and Tom (1998)--Karl
"Hercules" (1998)--Jorgen Svenson/Sven Jorgenson (TV guest appearance)
"King of the Hill" (1998)--Doctor (TV guest appearance)
Wag the Dog (1997)--Mr. Chuck Young
Boogie Nights (1997)--Little Bill
Air Force One (1997)--Major Caldwell
"Superman" (1997)--Director of the Paranormal Institute (TV guest appearance)
Andersonville (TV Movie--1996)--Colonel Chandler
Colin Fitz (1996)--Mr. O'Day
Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)--Charlie Crisco
Hit Me (1996)--The Cop
Fargo (1996)--Jerry Lundegaard
Down Periscope (1996)--Captain Carl Knox
Evolver (1995)--Evolver (voiceover)
Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)--Vice Principal Wolters
Above Suspicion (1995)--Prosecutor
Tall Tale (1995)--Railroad Magnate
Roommates (1995)--Doctor
In the Shadow of Evil (TV Movie--1995)--Dr. Frank Teague
Murder in the First (1995)--William McNeil
The Client (1994)--Dr. Greenway
Dead on Sight (1994)--Steven Meeker
Oleanna (1994)--John
Texan (TV Movie--1994)--Doctor
The Writing on the Wall (TV Movie--1994)--Petrocelli
"ER" (TV Series--1994)--Dr. David Morgenstern
Being Human (1993)--Boris
Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)--Tunafish Father
Twenty Bucks (1993)--Property Clerk
Benny & Joon (1993)--Randy Burch
"L.A. Law" (1993)--Bernard Ruskin (TV guest appearance)
"Bakersfield P.D." (1993)--Russell Karp (TV guest appearance)
The Heart of Justice (TV Movie--1992)--Booth
A Murderous Affair: The Carolyn Warmus Story (TV Movie--1992)--Sean Hammel
The Water Engine (TV Movie--1992)--Charles Lang
A Private Matter (TV Movie--1992)--Psychiatrist
Shadows and Fog (1992)--Cop with Spiro
In the Line of Duty: Siege at Marion (TV Movie--1992)--Ray Daniels
"Law & Order" (1992)--Jack Powell (TV guest appearance)
"Law & Order" (1990)--Assistant U.S. Attorney John McCormack (TV guest appearance)
Homicide (1991)--Tim Sullivan
"The Famous Teddy Z" (1989)--???? (TV guest appearance)
Lip Service (1988)--Farmer
Things Change (1988)--Billy Drake
The Murder of Mary Phagan (TV Movie--1988)--Randy
"Spenser: For Hire" (1988)--Efrem Connors (2nd TV guest appearance)
House of Games (1987)--Sergeant Moran
Radio Days (1987)--Radio Voice
"The Equalizer" (1987)--Dr. Spalding (TV guest appearance)
"Spenser: For Hire" (1987)--Efrem Connors (TV guest appearance)
"Kate & Allie" (1986)--Carl (TV guest appearance)
The Last Dragon (1985)--J.J.
"Spenser: For Hire" (1985)--D.A. (TV guest appearance)
The Boy Who Loved Trolls (1984)--Socrates
The Dining Room (TV Movie--1984)--Arthur / Charlie/Architect/Billy/Nick/Fred/Tony/Standish
Without a Trace (1983)--Reporter
The Cradle Will Fall (1983)--Ben Duffy
Foolin' Around (1980)--Bronski
Somewhere in Time (1980)--Critic
"The Awakening Land" (TV Series--1978)--Will Beagle